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Kevin Robinson is well-known in East Providence for his X Games gold-medal winning skill on a BMX bike. But he has become just as recognizable for his charitable endeavors through the K-Rob Foundation.
Robinson's moniker is K-Rob. He and his wife, Robin, are both East Providence natives and attended the city's public schools. They moved to Barrington to raise a young family.
But when they heard their hometown's athletic programs in the middle schools were on the chopping block last year, for example, they didn't sit back and watch.
"I don't think [the budget commission] is thinking of the repercussions...You can't keep taking away from kids who don't have a voice," Robinson said.
He added that he thinks property values will dip as the quality of city's schools declines.
Robinson's non-profit, The K-Rob Foundation, backed efforts to help defray the $106,000 needed to fund the programs. The biggest event: the annual Family Fun Festival held each year in East Providence.
It will be held again this year on June 8 at Crescent Park after a run/walk from Pierce Field to the Crescent Park Carousel.
The foundation works to transform the lives of deserving children in East Providence by helping to get them involved in athletics. It raises funds to pay students' athletic fees separate from city-paid costs, for instance.
Anyone who visited East Providence's Bowling Academy in March last year from 3 to 6 pm had the price of admission donated to middle school sports programs.
But Robinson had a bigger prize: keep the community focused on rallying people without delving into the negative. He also urged politicians to leave behind personal agendas for the sake of the children.
"Any past problems you've had with anybody, it's time to put everything aside, be adults and move forward," he said.
During an early meeting, local sports supporters pledged to attend public budget hearings, petition local legislators and write members of the media. Many wore red and white sweatshirts, a visual nod to the city's slogan: "Townie Pride."
"I love seeing the community come together and everyone unite—not only the city of East Providence but the state of Rhode Island," Robinson said. "We're the people that vote...It's important for us to voice our opinions."
Robinson also met early with then Budget Commission Chairman Michael O'Keefe and two staff members.
"They want to keep sports just as much as everyone does. Unfortunately they have a job to do," he said after that meeting. "Right now we're trying to come up with ideas."
He also made a showing at a Budget Commission meeting.
"I hope that people can look beyond the controversy and politics," Robinson said. "I hope they can look into their hearts."
JC
12:57 pm on Monday, March 5, 2012
It's Jonathan Pangborn, not Kevin
jonathan Pangborn
7:02 pm on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
I am not steering this ship I am only there to help where I can Kevin, K Rob , Donnie, and others are all involved
Rumford Resident
8:36 am on Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Did anyone else ask Charlie Tsonos if he is ready to let the citizens and taxpayers in on his plan to find the money to pay for middle school sports?
We are going on 3 weeks since he was quoted in the Projo that the money was there to be found.
Abigail, perhaps a direct question or interview from the patch would be better than showing a picture that makes folks believe that the head of the school committee is doing anything other than providing lip service to the masses.....
Photos like these cover up the fact that the reason we have a budget commission is because this school committee failed (Tsonos, Rossi, Furtado, et al).
Selling ads was a distraction....
Recess was a distraction.....
BS like we can cut admin and help 'the kids' was a distraction....
And then they make OKeefe and the Budget Commission out to the be bad guy....
Charlie, PUT UP OR SHUT UP!
Sandra Letizia
9:26 am on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
With all due respect,you may not agree with what this school committee is doing,however they inheritedt the debt from the last bunch including our former superindentent. Where is their accountability????? They just go away and leave this awful mess.. So continue to criticize the current group that is just plain easy,the challenge remains to find ways to eliminate this enormous debt,which as we see is even difficult for the commission.
Rumford Resident
12:22 pm on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Ok, so the prior school committee inherited a deficit from Vinhateiro and Izzy Ramos et al....
The question is what did THIS school committee do so far?
The last one made the obvious choice to cut teacher salaries that were historically negotiated by relatives and friends, and tried to control spending.
They created a partnership with Bradley Hospital for the most vulnerable in our city and saved money on special ed costs.
They invested in more computers and text books.
They tried to create a process to hold teachers accountable for how well our kids test.
And this school committee gets in after the unions dumped a ton of money into the election and did WHAT?
Nothing.
Tsonos keeps saying he knows how to save money and comes up with NOTHING!
And OKeefe and the Budget Commission (AND MOODYS) called their bluff as we are broke.
I am holding only those that can be held responsible, responsible..Tsonos, Furtado, Rossi etc.
Nice photo ops, but no real ideas.....
Sandra Letizia
12:41 pm on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Great decisions cut teacher salaries(I am not a teacher or belong to a union) give more money and benefits to the administators(they don't have enough already)where was Cirillo and his team when approving that budget? Where were these folks when Bradley was not being paid? Additionally each one of those folks that sat on the school committee and city council,some of them for several terms should ashamed of themselves for either knowing
Robert Gagnon
7:28 pm on Saturday, March 10, 2012
Sandra
This school committee stopped paying Bradley, this school committee stopped all payment to meeting street school, this school committee passed a budget with 7 million dollars of additional spending over last year which brought the deficit from 6.2 million to 13.9 million dollars. This school committee turned the problem into a special education issue. This school committee ran knowing full well about the deficit and elected to make it worse, they ran fully understanding and campaigning about the state of the school finances.
Sandra Letizia
12:50 pm on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
As I was saying they should be ashamed of themselves for either knowing what would happen down the road or they were simply incompetent,and for that items like Middle school sports and other services may be cut. Thanks goodness for folks like Kevin Robonson and others were care for the right reasons. Good luck to them!
Rumford Resident
1:34 pm on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Again, I am not disparaging Keven Robinson or folks who are trying to solve for this.
What I am doing is challenging those elected officials who seem to want it both ways. They show up at these meetings, pay lip service to these parents, but don't come forward with any specific ideas to address the issues.
As for the prior school committee, I think they were quite public in terms of what they were doing. If the Bradley partnership is so bad, why is the Budget Commission and the Ed Commissioner (GIST) saying it is a model for the state.
This school committee didn't cut the checks. And the Budget Commission confirmed that it saves money vs. what was done before.
Also, it is Tsonos who keeps claiming (before he was elected and now) that he knows of all of this waste and fat in admin. If he does, he needs to prove it.
Talk is cheap.
I feel for these parents and these kids. We already pay a lot in taxes.
The fact that we need to have a bake sale or a race to raise money for sports is absurd.
And those who are in office have been absolute failures.
James Durfee
10:20 pm on Wednesday, March 7, 2012
I don't recall hearing much from this crew when they slashed textbooks and supplies...It shows where their values are.
Arthur Dolloff
6:12 pm on Saturday, March 10, 2012
Rumford
You hit that one on the head.
There was no outrage when they cut books and supplies, maybe because there is no vicarious gratification in winning a spelling bee or acing a history test.